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Saturday, 2 January 2016

Blog Tour: Built [Saints of Denver #1] by Jay Crownover

I am absolutely thrilled to bring you the Review/Excerpt Tour for BUILT by Jay Crownover! BUILT is a Contemporary Romance novel being published by HarperCollins, and it is the 1st full-length novel in The Saints of Denver Series, a spinoff of her New York Times bestselling Marked Men Series. This amazing book releases on January 5th!

Tell Me About It
The first in the new SAINTS OF DENVER series from NYT bestselling author of the MARKED MEN series, Jay Crownover

Sometimes you have to tear everything down to build something new…

Sayer Cole is frozen inside. At least, that’s what it’s felt like for as long as she can remember. She’s yet to let anyone past her icy exterior – and the one guy she thinks might melt her heart couldn’t possibly be interested in someone so uptight.

Rough, hard and hot-as-hell, Zeb Fuller has rebuilt his life and his construction business since protecting his family sent him to jail all those years ago. His elegant client, Sayer, makes him feel like a Neanderthal in denim, but despite the many hints that he’s been dropping to get to know her better, she seems oblivious to his charms.

Just as things finally start to heat up, Zeb’s past comes back to haunt him and he needs Sayer’s professional help to right a wrong and to save more than himself. As these opposites dig in for the fight of their lives, fire and ice collide in an unstoppable explosion of steam…

My Thoughts
I am a big fan of Jay Crownover and her books. The Marked Men series was the first I read, and fell in love with. When I heard that a spin off series Saints of Denver, was being published, that would not only merge the Marked Men with a new series, abut would also introduce us to a whole bunch of new characters, I knew I HAD to read it. I was super excited to get hold of Built early, and this was the first book I picked up for my weekend read, and did not put down.

Built tells us Zeb and Sayer's story. This is a couple that we have already met, that already have us emotionally connected to what happens between them, so being able to just focus on them made for a great read. The sparks and chemistry between this duo can certainly set a fire or two, and let me tell you now, the sparks are nothing when the fire is lit. The synopsis for Built doesn't really give much away about the problems this duo face, and hopefully my review will do the same, leaving you to be surprised and shocked just like I was, but also stupidly happy at how their situation was dealt with.

Sayers past wasn't filled with love, having to conform to a Dad who only liked perfection and no signs of weakness is sure to leave a mark. It's taken finding out she has a brother, a move to a new city, and making friends with unexpected people to help Sayer try to let go of her past, but it's not that easy and we get to see the internal struggle she has daily. Sayer is very reluctant to get into a relationship with Zeb, even though she definitely has feelings for him, and her dreams are filled with him.
Zeb was someone who I was never quite sure about in the Marked Men series, but in Built we really get to see Zeb, as a character, and as a person. He is determined to do what's right for Sayer, Poppy, and everyone involved with this new situation. He was instrumental in helping Poppy gain her confidence back. His past come back to haunt him in a major was, and it unfortunately gets dragged out and aired in the open, possibly having a disastrous effect on the situation. However, I love how he shows Sayer how much he cares for her, and trusts her, I also LOVE how he reacted to the situation and did everything in his power to make it work.
Poppy is someone who we have met before, and has had a lot to deal with. I really liked how she is part of Zeb and Sayer's story. I loved seeing the progress she makes throughout the pages of Built. I hope we get to see more of her in future books.

Built was an unputdownable read, I love how it took me on a journey of growth, love, and happiness. I loved getting to spend time with characters old and new, and seeing the spark of something that leads us to the next book. The wedding scene in Leveled also makes so much sense now, and is so cute.

Final VerdictBuilt is a MUST READ for fans of Jay, and for those who read The Marked Men series and loved the characters just as much as I did. Saints of Denver is a series I am already desperate to hold in my hands.....I kinda need the next book now please :)

Excerpt from Built

I dug my fingers into his wrists and scowled right back at him as his pulse kicked into my touch. “I don’t think you’re an asshole or a player at all, Zeb, but I also have no experience with men like you.”
“Men like me? What does that mean? What kind of man am I?” He was getting angry and frustrated and I couldn’t blame him. It was hard for me to explain why he was everything I wanted but everything I could never have. We were on two different levels when it came to our personalities and I knew there was no way someone as passionate and expressive as he was would ever be interested in someone as reserved and closed off as I was. Where I was the frozen tundra when it came to emotional availability, he was the blazing heat of the desert. I could see the fire of his annoyance in his gaze as he waited for my shaky explanation.
“You’re a man who is sure of himself and confidant. You’re a man who is used to having women fall at his feet. You’re a man who is exiting and interesting.” I lifted an eyebrow at him. “You’re a man who is tattooed and drives a cool vintage truck around, you’re a man who doesn’t mind getting dirty and can create things for a living. All of that is the total opposite of everything I’ve ever known, Zeb.”
His eyebrows went from the deep frown over his nose to shooting up on his forehead and disappeared under the dark fall of hair that rested there. A grin that could only be described as wicked slashed through his beard and his hands tightened where they were still holding on to my face.
“I thought you were going to say a man with a past. A man that has been to jail. I thought you were going to say a man with my history is the kind of man you have no experience with. You surprised me.”
If I was a different type of woman, I might have smacked him for that kind of ignorance. “Where you have been doesn’t define who you are, Zeb. I told you when we first met that I understand that people make mistakes.”
He grunted and moved his face closer to mine. “And here I am on your doorstep with another one. You want me to teach you about a man like me, Sayer? I’m pretty simple to figure out.”
I didn’t believe that for a single second, so I opened my mouth to tell him. There was never anything simple about passion. I didn’t get a chance to utter a sound because before I got a word out I suddenly knew exactly what it felt like to be kissed by a guy with a beard because he dipped his head and devoured my mouth with his.
It felt phenomenal.

About Jay Crownover:

Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men and The Point series. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.

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